Postby Bill » Sun Apr 09, 2017 7:30 pm
Hi Pauline... in an attempt to give you everything I have at my disposal... here are some great pointers I have from one of my favorite nondual authors.. John Wheeler.
Just let these in....
... whenever self-centered thoughts appear, there is the arising of apparant suffering. Suffering means any type of worry, anxiety, fear, doubt, question, problem, seeking and so on. Be clear -- I am not talking about physical pain or ordinary bodily reactions. Nor am I talking about natural and spontaneous feelings and emotions coming through.
--
Step one is to see that all suffering, problems, doubts and questions arise in thought and nowhere else. There is nothing inherently wrong 'out there' nor in the body or mind themselves. Suffering is a creation in thinking. See if that is clear. Then we can go on to the next step.
--
Suffering is generated in the mind, in thinking. It does not exist anywhere else. The thoughts that create suffering are those that revolve around the sense of a separate self. This idea of being a limited separate being is the root driver of all self-centered experience. By inquiring into the validity of this core concept you can verify whether it is true or not. If it is seen to be false, then the basic cause is removed (through the seeing). This pulls the plug on the cause of suffering.
--
Suffering ultimately lies in our own thoughts and nowhere else. The particular thoughts involved specifically are self-centered thoughts that revolve around who and what we imagine ourselves to be. These in turn are rooted in, or based upon, the fundamental concept of a separate 'I' or limited self, which we take to be present and which we mistake as who we are.
--
You are not the limited person you have taken yourself to be. Look for the separate self and you find it entirely absent. Seeing this, suffering, doubt and confusion effortlessly drop away, revealing your natural state of innate happiness and freedom.
--
... once there is thought, there is no reason why anything cannot be imagined. One of those imaginings is the belief in a central character. That happens to be the source of all suffering. From a practical perspective, the most important thing is to uncover the false belief and live free of suffering. That is why Buddha focused primarily on the cause and end of suffering and was not inclined to discuss speculative metaphysics and theories. If you want to be free of suffering, doubts and confusion just look at the basics and resolve the fundamental ignorance.
--
Problems, thoughts, feelings and so on continue to arise. But when the 'I' is seen through then there is no one to take hold of them and identify with them. So situations still arise and are dealt with but without the tension and identifying as a separate individual doer.
--
In general, the ultimate source of suffering is not usually fully addressed by the standard types of counseling and therapy. They may be good but might not have the full answers. That needs to be tested and verified in one's own experience.
--
All problems, doubts and questions (collectively called 'suffering') are just thoughts. Verify this for yourself. All suffering is for someone, for a person who imagines himself or herself to be limited and separate. Thus, all suffering and doubts are really just self-centered thinking. Self-centered thoughts are simply thoughts that revolve around the assumption of the existence of a separate self. So the idea of a separate 'I' is the foundation upon which all self-centered thinking is based. Self-centered thinking always presumes that the 'I' is present and real and that this is what we are.
If the 'I' cannot be found, then who has a problem, who is not good enough, who needs to attain something and so forth?
--
... suffering is investigated and its cause is discovered to be absent. This investigation has the result of exposing the root cause of suffering, which is the imagined sense of separation from our real source.
--
Once you see that suffering is just a movement in thought and has no real existence, the sword is put to the root. You can never quite experience it the same way once you see this. Again, the seeing is the key, not any action you take -- because there is no 'you'!
--
What is the reality? What is my true nature? Are these truly separate? And this separate 'I' that we take ourselves to be, what is it? Where is it? Can we find it?
A life of suffering presupposes that these questions are not fully clear to us. Once they are understood, the root of suffering, doubts and questions is resolved, and these issues do not trouble us. Until then, the questioning goes on until we are satisfied and see the truth for ourselves.
--
Your heart, kidneys, lungs and other bodily functions have been ceaselessly functioning from birth. They have not been troubled by a sense of responsibility for their much-needed work. The trouble comes with the sense of being an 'I' who feels itself to be present and responsible. It is all happening to 'me', or 'I' am doing it. That is the kicker and the real source of trouble. You will find that everything comes back to the problematic sense of self at the center.
It all gets down to a change in perspective, not any particular change in what is happening. I assure you that choices, actions and all else can and will go on. But the suffering does not need to!
--
When we are unclear on our basic identity and are living under the sway of the feeling of being an independent and isolated self, we are plagued with a fundamental sense of doubt, insecurity and fear. This leads to all manner of questions, seeking, searching, grasping at imagined sources of happiness and so on. At a mental level this manifests as agitated, distressing thoughts and emotions. Rather than getting to the core and resolving the basic source of the problem, many of us attempt to fix the problem by searching for security, certainty and happiness in the world, through the body or through the mind. But the answer is never really fully achieved because we are overlooking the basic root cause of the problem.
--
With no identifiable separate self in the picture, there is no one present who has a problem, no one who needs to get anywhere, no one who is lacking, deficient or apart. The discovery of the lack of any substantial person or being effectively annihilates all problems, doubts, questions, seeking and suffering.
--
The whole basis of suffering is the mind creating erroneous concepts and beliefs that we then take to be real. Whatever the mind says about you are just some unexamined, erroneous beliefs that were picked up during the years of not knowing any better. None of them are true! They have no real significance in relation to you. And there is not anything that needs to be done. See a thought as a thought and let it be. It will come as it went. When you see thoughts as thoughts and put no particular value or weight on them, they leave. It is like a rude salesman knocking at your door. Ignore him and he leaves.
There is being ... and thoughts. Put your attention on the fact of your being and turn away from self-centered thoughts as being irrelevant. Pull the attention away from them and they wither like autumn leaves. Our interest to the point of excessive focus, is what gives thems all the juice. Do not be concerned about a pile of dead, lifeless leaves. As they blow in, they will blow out.
... Anything that can arise in the future is not worth waiting for. ... Leave all these thoughts and concepts alone and rest in and as being, which is a natural and uncomplicated presence that is bright with peace and love. Thoughts do not touch this at all. So do not fight thoughts. Only see them for what they are. If you can turn away from them, do so. If not, then thoroughly question them. You are not a thought. Thoughts do not touch you.
--
Self-centered thoughts are what suffering is -- nothing else. ... The very sense of being ... that is easily and doubtlessly present is what you are.
... it is still worthwhile to thoroughly understand the origin and mechanism of suffering. Self-centered thoughts have been acquired over the course of living. They live and survive in thought. Without thought they are not existent.
--
... self-centered thoughts are rooted in the assumption or belief that there is a substantially existing thing called a self. This is otherwise called an ego, a person, an entity or ... a sense of 'me'. Not only is this self assumed to be real or present, but even more importantly in terms of experience of suffering, we believe that this is what we are. In other words, all suffering depends on the belief in a substantial, existing self. All of the self-centered thoughts are really just attributes or definitions of this entity. ... The arising of this belief in a separate self and our identity with that is the origin of suffering, doubt and the general sense of confusion about ourselves.
... seeing that the whole network of suffering is based on the belief in the presence of a separate self and our assumed identity with that, the solution is going to be to look to see if we can discover any such thing that is, in fact, a separate self. ... if this self-center exists and is real, I should be able to find it. Have a look into your thoughts, feelings, perceptions and anywhere else in your experience and see if you can find something that you can grasp hold of and say "This is me". See if you can find this self-center, which we have seen to be the root of all our suffering.
--
The most important fact to glean from this is that when you investigate the cause of suffering, you discover that it does not exist. Therefore, suffering is an appearance in the mind based on a false assumption. It survives as long as the cause (the separate self) is assumed or imagined to be real. If the cause is questioned and found to be non-existent, then can the effect remain? For example, when you imagine a thief in the house, there may arise fear and various plans to deal with the situation. But when you investigate and see that there is no thief can those fears and thoughts remain? To see for yourself -- not as a theory, but as a result of direct looking -- that there is no separate self pulls the root out of the whole network of self-centered thinking or suffering. What remains is the clear, doubtless presence of awareness, which is your natural state. With this recognition arises an innate sense of happiness, clarity and freedom which you cannot lose, since it is your own presence. In the absence of any self-centered thoughts, the direct understanding of who you are remains clear, unwavering and free of doubt.
-- John Wheeler
